> The above stanza still needs some tlc. I built a 2.6.22.1-rt6 (rt5 > wouldn't build) using the same old config that a make oldconfig didn't > fuss about, but the reboot never completed, see the attached, heavily > smunched camera shot of the panic.> > Kinda looks like hda/sda confusion, with rt3 (this boot), its hda*, > what is it now? fstab or kernel config error?

yeah, as long as your filesystems are created with a proper label, all that you need to do is to change all 'hda' to 'sda' in the new kernel's /etc/grub.conf entry. (or enable the old IDE code in the .config, under CONFIG_IDE)